Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 5 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A resident of Center Valley, the 6-5, 209-pound Olesh picked up an of- fer from the Lions in January while on campus for a junior day. The Southern Lehigh standout had made it clear on multiple occasions that an offer from the Nittany Lions would be an impor- tant development in his recruitment. "I'm thrilled about the offer from Penn State. It's a great opportunity," said Olesh, whose father graduated from PSU. "Getting it boosts my recruitment significantly. The visit turned out great. I got to build tons of relationships with a lot of the coaching staff and other re- cruits. We did facility tours and got to have position group meetings where I gained some valuable insight into how Penn State utilizes their tight ends in the offense." Just like Carroll and Zollers, Olesh has also visited Penn State significantly more than other schools, totaling seven trips since last summer. His list of offers has grown substantially during the past month, but the Lions should be consid- ered the heavy favorites. Olesh has a four-star grade from On3 and is listed as the No. 87 pros- pect nationally and No. 4 tight end. He's coming off a junior season in which he caught 53 passes for 972 yards and 10 touchdowns. One other player to monitor is wide receiver Jeff Exinor of McDonogh in Owings Mills, Md. Listed at 6-1, 210 pounds, Exinor has strong ties with Penn State recruiting coordinator Kenny Sanders. "Kenny is a friend of my late uncle, David Lunn Jr.," Exinor said. "They both went to McDonogh together and were very close. I've known Kenny since I was born, and we have an amazing re- lationship. "We like to talk about football a lot and my place at Penn State, but we also talk about life things, too. I guess you can say that having Kenny there helps Penn State." A three-star prospect according to On3, Exinor visited Penn State for the fifth time in January. Duke, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and West Virginia have also hosted him since the fall, but when you add in his relationship with Sanders, plus PSU's success at pulling players like defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, linebacker Curtis Jacobs and current junior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton out of McDonogh in recent years, there's ample reason to believe the Lions are the favorites to earn his signature. Exinor, rated by On3 as the No. 52 wide recevier nationally, spoke with Franklin while visiting in January and came away from that conversation feeling good about how he would fit in with the Nit- tany Lions. "He loves guys from McDonogh," Ex- inor said. "We talked a lot about PJ and Curtis, who is now getting ready for the draft. We also talked about how Dani has really taken that big step over the past year. He would love if I went there and kept that success going." ■ The Nittany Lions will have to fend off Big Ten rival Michigan to keep four-star Central Bucks East offensive lineman Michael Carroll from leaving Pennsylvania. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER C L A S S O F 2 0 2 5 C O M M I T M E N T S * Name Pos Ht Wt Rating** Home School Owen Aliciene OT 6-7 270 HHH Avon, Conn. Avon Old Farms Kiandrea Barker RB 5-11 185 HHH Beebe, Ark. The Woodlands (Texas) Dayshaun Burnett LB 6-3 215 HHH Pittsburgh Imani Christian Academy Omari Gaines S 6-2 185 HHH Newark, N.J. Malcolm X Shabazz Tiqwai Hayes RB 5-10 190 HHH Aliquippa, Pa. Aliquippa Bekkem Kritza QB 6-5 185 HHH Boulder, Colo. Fairview DJ McClary LB 6-1 210 HHHH Jersey City, N.J. Henry Snyder Brady O'Hara TE 6-6 255 HHH Pittsburgh North Catholic Lyrick Samuel WR 6-4 170 HHHH Brooklyn, N.Y. Erasmus Hall Alex Tatsch LB 6-2 215 HHHH Latrobe, Pa. Greater Latrobe Xxavier Thomas CB 5-10 160 HHH Canonsburg, Pa. Central Catholic Michael Troutman IOL 6-2 275 HHH Wayne, N.J. DePaul Catholic C L A S S O F 2 0 2 6 C O M M I T M E N T * Name Pos Ht Wt Rating** Home School Messiah Mickens RB 5-10 195 HHHH Harrisburg, Pa. Trinity * As of Feb. 26 | ** On3 player rating as of Feb. 26